On Gratitude and Serotonin

Unless you’re an alien, you’ll more than likely have an off day or feel sad every now and then. You may pull up Amazon and buy a new bag or shirt to make yourself feel better. You may even eat a pint of ice cream or take down a bottle of wine while watching Netflix.

Chances are, in the end, it won’t make you feel any better and may even have the opposite effect.

This is the consumer mindset that has been bestowed on us by a capitalist society. If the world has you down, buy yourself something and you’ll feel much better. However, what ends up happening is you’re out a bunch of money and your veins are pumping with cortisol.

So, how do you break this sadness feedback loop?

Welcome to the science of gratitude, fellow humans.

Doing things for others is one of the best ways to kick the blues. When you help someone else rather than yourself to more ice cream, your body releases a wonderful feel good chemical called serotonin.

Helping others also tends to be free. You can go on LinkedIn at any time and start writing recommendations for colleagues or friends. Imagine how it must feel for them to get an amazing rec out of nowhere.

You can also call your friends or parents at any time and bring up a memory where they profoundly impacted your life that they may not have even known about. Share some laughs and for the love of god stay off of Amazon.

Show some gratitude.